News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1887-07-07

to be commemOrated as the day of de1iv-
erance, by solemn acts of devotion to
Almighty God. 1t ought to be solemn
lied with pOmpS, shows, games, sports,
guns, bells, bOnfires and illuminatiOns,
from one end of the continent to the
other, from this time forward for ever y
[ do not know if he had read those
glorious prophetic words; but words of
similar import, spirit akin to them
were deeply imbedded in his heart, and
in the hearts of all the early settlers of
this town. They were mostly men who
had participated in the war of the revo-
luton, and hence past the middle age Of
life. They had no vague ideas that
liberty meant RIGHTEOUSNESS but were
well instructed in the principle of civil
liberty as regulated by law. John Nc
Daniel himself was man of genuine be-
nevOlence. OF extraordinary stature and
physical strength and highly seasoned
temper, he was never quarrelsOme, but
very often interpOsed his strength and au-
thOrity in behalf of peace. He did not
found a church nor endOW college but
for nearly fifty years, in this then new
country, he befriended the poor; helped
to clOthe the naked, feed the hungry,
and with rough but kindly hand and
willing heart, III every way in his power,
mlniStered to the needs of his less for
tunate neighbors. His funeral occurred
in August, 1884, when | was a little
more than six years old. My parents
did not think it best for me to attend it,
and left me home, cOnciliating my anX-
iety with promises of good things when
they should return in little time; but
| think then had a nearly constitutional
defect in my stay-at-home make up: be-
sides [ found very soon after my parents
had departed, that [ entertained a truly
ann coipntjO1S HIffQrpnnn of nnipio,1 h
them about the prOpriety of my attend
ing Esq. McDaniel's funeral. [ con-
structed an argument in favor of attend
ing the funeral which l thought
unanswerable; and there being no one
present to oppose my opinion but a serv-
ant girl, | found means to 60 AS I
came near the house, it occurred to me
that l had not on the mourning gar
mentS, tho my habiliments might have
been called the habiliments of woe, [
had on neither shoes nor hat. A pair of
tow trousers, out at the knees, with one
cotton cloth SuSpender, and SO much of
a shirt as [ had not shared with the
large brier bushes in the fields through
which | had made my impetuous flight to
escape the servant girl, constituted nv
adOrnments for the solemn occasion.
Whether this fact, or some little reserve
| which | held in my mind about nv
fathers approaching the weight of my
logic was the moving cause of my dis
erection | do not remember But | took
my station in rather back seat, among
the bovine mOurnerS. who had curiOuSly
collected on top Of the hill few rods
east of the house, and from that point
witnessed the funeral. 1t was the first
funeral | had ever witnessed. Fifty
three years ago, and the impression left
! on my mind was too deep to be effaced.
1t was largely attended, and everybody
seemed to be mOurnerS. TO Inc, then,
the pageant was as solemn and grand as
that which brought the patriarch Jacob
from Egypt to the land of his fathers.
In Sept, 1887, Jabez Fitch made his
pioneer visit to this town. He was an
original proprietor, and came to spy out
the land for himself and others. He for
many years previously kept diary, and
continued it to nearly the time of his
death. l will give you few extracts
from this curious and valuable diary.
| Under date of August 9th, 1887, while
on his way to Hyde Park. from his diary
of that day 1 take this:
"While 1 was here, one Donaldson, a Scotch
man, came in, who informs me that he has lately
been to Hyde Park; He gave letter to con-
vey to Hyde Park. l suppose ye first one ever
directed to that place"
Under date of September 9th, this:
cat about II we arrived at Hyde Park, and
found Capt. Hyde with his gang, over Just across
| the river and surveying on the south side +
proceeded to we house of Peter Martin which is
newly built
latter dinner, I went over to McDonold's,
another house in Hyde Park about half mile
eastward. This was ye first house erected in this
town. 1t is Il handsome log house, built with
black spruce tmber-yery straigh: and all peeled
and very white. >Ye floor partly laid with bass
| wood plank which was split and hewd."
We cannot make further extracts from
this diary at this time; but it is kept
with great minutenesS, and gives an al
most complete history of the town from
1857 to 1872.
On his return from his first trip, which
he commences on the 14th of September,
he makes leiSurely bridal trip through
Chittenden, Addison, Rutland and Ben
ningtOn counties, and visits Fort Ed
ward and the old battlefelds near Sara
toga. He also visits the Springs and re-
cords that he tested the curative quail
ties Of the water by drinking nine quarts
of it within a few hours time. Next
spring, after putting the crops in on his
farm in Connecticut, on the 22d day of
May, with his three sons, he starts to |
make his settlement in this town. From
that time to the present. the name of
Fitch has been both prominent and hon |
Orable in town, and we are pleased to |
say that the present representative of
the family does not exhibit signs of
degeneracy; and we heartily wish he
would give us promise that the name
should not die with him. 1t is an hon
orable lineage, and although we in this
country do not make much account of
ones lineage, but make much more
account of what ones self is, | know of
none, with high aspirations, who do not
look back with pride upon an honorable
ancestry. If you take the trouble to |
examine the names of the siXty-fve per-
sons to whom the town was chartered, !
headed by Captain Jedediah Hyde, in
whose honor the town was named, you |
will not find one for whom one need |
blush to own as ones ancestor.
Of course, only q small number of |
those named in the charter, made actual |
settlement on their rights in town. Sew
eral procured the necessary improve
mentS to be made on their rights. good |
many were transferred for small cOnsid-
Grafton, and many lots were sold for
taxes. The charter required that fam
lily should be settled upon each prOpri-
etOr'S right, or that five acres should be
planted and cultivated, and house
built at least eighteen feet square, on
the ground floor on each right. with
in four years next after the circum-
stances of the War will admit of a
settlement with safety" CORVALLIS
had surrendered at Yorktown October
18th, ISL; but the detinitive treaty of |
peace between Great Britain and the
United States was not concluded until |
September, 1888, almost two years later;
and New York City was not evacuated |
by the British until the 25th of NOvem- |
Der following. The towns charter con-
cludeS with the words: land in the |
fifth year of our independence" But |
Vermont was not admitted to the union
of states until ten years later, New
York had been trying all these years to |
carry Vermont in her pocket; but |
TicOnderoga, Bennington, Ethan Allen,
the Green Mountain Boys and the spirit |
of sturdy independence of our people |
were too much for her selfishneSS. We
find from Jabez Fitch'S diary that the |
people of this then infant colony were |
debating the pros and cons of the Fed !
eral constitution with great intelligence |
and the same lively interest as if they |
had already been members of the Fed |
eral family. 1t is not too much to say |
that every man of the early settlers of |
this colony, as it was then called by |
many, had an intelligent grasp of all the |
questions moOted pending the adoption |
of our present form of government. |
None of the first settlers were men of
liberal education, as that phrase is |
usually understood, except Jedediah |
Hyde, Jr., who did not make this town |
his permanent home; but it is plain that |
they had i'll some way acquired fair edu-
cation | used often to hear DR.. Ariel |
UuntOn say that the man who kneao ii,
no matter how or where he acquired his |
knOWlpd0e was the educated man, |